WHO Director pleads against booster shots and questioned its efficacy and the risk of ‘more potent’ variants

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday pleads against booster shots. Dr. Tedros also questioned the efficacy of the booster shots while highlighting the risk of ‘more potent’ variants.”

In a news conference in Hungary, Dr. Tedros doubles down the appeal against Covid-19 booster shots as more wealthy countries move to offer a third dose. He later called for a two-month pause to prioritize nations where vaccinations are severely lagging, according to a report from Forbes, citing reporters at the event.

He pleaded with rich nations “to share what can be used for boosters” to help other places “increase their first and second vaccination coverage,” according to reporters at the event. Furthermore, Dr. Tedros called into question whether booster shots are “effective at all.”

Dr. Tedros is not alone. Last week, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan, asked about the need for boosters to increase protection against the disease. In a Geneva news conference, Dr. Swaminathan said: “We believe clearly that the data today does not indicate that boosters are needed.”

Dr. Swaminathan went on to recommend that two doses should be given to the most vulnerable worldwide before boosters are administered to those fully vaccinated. “We are a long, long way from that,” he added, according to another report from Reuters.